Oct 18, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
On November 1st, 2023, Trinity Lutheran Church will mark 70 years of ministry in Freeland! This little church began with the vision of our 37 Charter Members, most of whom were children. They had no land, no money, no staff, and they shared a pastor with our mother church, Saint Peter’s in Clinton. What they lacked in material possessions was made up for by their vision for the future and their dedication.
We will be celebrating our 70th Anniversary on Sunday, November 5th. We will be partying like it was 1953! We would encourage you to wear poodle skirts, slick back your hair (if you have any), dress like the 50’s and be ready for the sock hop. The festivities that day will be as follows:
8:00 am All Saints Sunday Worship. Remembering all who have gone before us.
9:00 am Festive Coffee hour.
9:30—10:20 am The entire congregation is invited to an Anniversary program in the Sanctuary. There will be videos, singing, and storytelling as we offer our praises to God.
11:00 am All Saints Sunday Worship. Remembering all who have gone before us.
12:00 Noon. A 50’s Anniversary Party complete with popular 50’s music, a photo booth from the Ice Cream Parlor, trivia and a hula hoop contest. Dancing? Yes! Bring your dance partner or walker. Lunch will include hot dogs and polish sausages, tater tots, Jello salad, root beer floats, chips, cake, popcorn and rice crispy treats.
There will be historical displays chronicling the rich 70 years of our service to God in this place.
Plan now to attend the program, a worship service, and the party! It is rumored that Elvis may even appear. For 70 years God has blessed TLC and in turn TLC has been a blessing to non-profits and benevolent causes on the Island and across the world. On November 5th we will send a thank you note to God and celebrate.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find Root Beer Floats, I am your
Pastor Jim
Oct 13, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
I spend a lot of time with the spoken word and in correspondence thanking you all for your generous support of the many ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church. In 2022 your church gave away more than a half million dollars. This money benefited many non-profits on Whidbey Island helping your neighbors right here at home. This money offered disaster relief to neighbors across the United States and across the world. This money was awarded to students attending community colleges, trade schools and universities. Dozens of students each year attend school on TLC Scholarships and many of them are not members of our congregation.
According to the Education Data Initiative “the average cost of college in the United States is $36,436 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses.” On this October Saturday, I am choosing to get out of the way and to allow a few of our young people to speak directly to you. This is a small sampling of the thank you letters that we receive each year.
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
I just want to give you all a brief but heartfelt thank you for the scholarship support you’ve give me over the years. It makes a difference and means a lot. Thank you and thanks to everyone at TLC, you’re all in my thoughts!”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
I once again need to thank you for your continuous kindness. This scholarship has provided me with a foundation to learn on. If it weren’t for your support year after year, I truly don’t know if my dreams would be possible. Your funds help me pay for not only my tuition, but also my housing, books and sometimes supplies. You have helped me achieve something that nobody in my family has yet. I thank you warmly and wholeheartedly.”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for the support you gave to my college experience. Because of your hope in my future, I was able to accomplish my goals, play tennis for a school I’m proud of, and most importantly learn and live values and connections that encourage a better humanity. Thank you for supporting me and so many others through years of life changing experience. With a grateful heart.”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
I hope your summer is going well! As the start of college is just around the corner, I wanted to reach out and express my gratitude for the scholarship Trinity Lutheran church so generously gave to me. With only a month left before I move into my dorm, I am getting super excited for all of the new adventures this year has in store. I am registered for classes and looking forward to continuing my academic journey. Being chosen for your scholarship has definitely decreased my financial stress and will allow me to have more time to focus on my studies, take a break from working, and get adjusted to all of the changes that come with starting school. I really appreciate your help, thank you!”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
Thank you so much for support! It means so much that you chose to invest in me, and support me going forward! You’re really making a difference in my education. Thank you!”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to apply to your scholarship. I am so honored to be a recipient. I promise the money won’t go to waste. Thanks again.”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
Thank you is no where near enough, but thank you for awarding the incredible Ruby Scholarship to me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this scholarship, as well as all the love and support the church has provided me with. This has changed and impacted my life greatly, and I am beyond lucky for everything. Thank you. So much.”
“Dear Trinity Lutheran Church,
Thank you so much for the extremely generous scholarship! Words cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am to all of you! Receiving this award is truly an honor and it inspires me to continue my education in a field I am passionate about! Thank you for investing in my future!”
Thank you! Together we make a difference. Together we can change Whidbey Island and the world for the better and for good.
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
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Oct 7, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
The August 31st publication of the journal “Science” reported on a new study done collaboratively with scientists in China, Italy, and the United States. According to their research, 900,000 years ago planet earth had a human population of approximately 1,280. It would have been a great time to buy a waterfront property on Whidbey Island. 1,280 people; some of you have that many Facebook friends, some Sunday afternoons there are that many people in the ferry line. Of course, there were no ferries, no roads, no GPS, no maps. In fact, it is unlikely that our predecessors even knew how to control fire for warmth or cooking.
The scientists believe that the human population stayed pretty much the same for the next 117,000 years. Before there were roads, ancient people wandered through unexplored countryside staying close to fresh water. Before there were roads, before there were maps, everyone had to find their own way. Finding one’s own way in life is not easy.
Over time there was an evolution of sorts, one man walked in a certain direction, plants, and grass under foot. Then a woman came along with her child, and she could see where vegetation had been disturbed and on occasion, she could faintly identify the crude outline of a human foot. Then along came another, and another and another. It was a time before there were roads, but with the passing of each pedestrian, paths began to appear. And the paths became a trail, each human walking in the footprints of those who had gone before, trusting in the wisdom of unknown ancestral travelers.
The paths we walk may be new to us, but they are familiar in the human story. The joys and sorrows that we experience have remained mostly unchanged since the dawn of human history. Songs of hope and liberation have been sung on those paths. People of faith and doubt have struggled to put one foot in front of the other. The tears of grieving ancestors provided necessary hydration giving birth to the wildflowers that color the pathway. Before there were roads there were paths, the paths remind us that we are not alone or unique. We are in fact, just passing by, like people have passed by for 900,000 years. Our lives have been enriched and informed by those who came before us, and we will leave our legacy to the generations that follow us.
I would like to end with the second stanza of a hymn by brothers James and Rosamond Johnson. It is known as the Black National Anthem; Life Every Voice and Sing.
“Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod, felt in the days when hope unborn had died; yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet come to the place for which our parents sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered; we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.”
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Sep 29, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
I am guessing that most of us have a wide array of voices echoing through the vast expanses of our gray matter. Some of those voices echo sweet, tender words, words that we hold onto like treasure.
It was a day that I never will forget, it was the first day of Summer, June 21st, 2011. On this pleasantly warm afternoon, I spent time with my mother. She was in a wheelchair, her world had become quite small, living in a nursing home. We sat outside and talked about her granddaughters at home on Whidbey Island. When it was time to leave, I kissed her check and said, “I love you Mom. You have been the most wonderful and loving mom to me.” She smiled and said, “That’s all I need to know. I love you.” Those words live in the recesses of my mind, a recollection held dear, words that offer me comfort in moments of grief. It would be the last time that I would ever see my mother alive.
But for most of us there are other voices, voices nearly impossible to escape, voices from the past that hang over us, ominous dark clouds that haunt our days. Decades after their utterance they visit us still, holding sway over us, making it difficult to shed the shame they invoke. Recently, I was with a man in his 50’s and I asked him about his parents. He said, “I think they are fine, but we are estranged. You see, I never really measured up. My dad made it clear to me that I was a disappointment to him.”
Deeply imbedded in our DNA is the desire to make our parents proud. For many that is an impossible and thankless task. The voices lay dormant for some time and then they are awakened, and so are our deeply held insecurities. We hear the voices of disappointed parents, betrayed lovers, and lost friends as we are accused and convicted in the court of our minds. The voices are intimate. There are no words spoken by a stranger that are given permanent space in our minds. Angry words from the UPS man, a ferry worker or a disgruntled driver are processed quickly and discarded. Intimate voices have a way of imprinting themselves deep into our hearts.
Do you hear voices? I do. None of us live free from regret or guilt. But there is a voice, an intimate voice, the voice of the one who truly knows us, the voice of the one who gave us life and will meet us in death. That voice speaks to us in the present, reminding us of ancient truths and comforting promises. “You are a child of God, you are precious, you are loved, you are forgiven, I do not expect perfection. I will never leave you or forsake you. You are my child, and I am your God.” Despite our imperfections, regrets, deeds and misdeeds, even as prodigals we remain the precious children of God.
May the voice of God give perspective to your days. May the voice of God lead you from shame to abundant life. May the voice of God give you peace.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Sep 22, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
The Priesthood of all Believers is active at TLC. What does it mean to be ordained as a priest in the waters of baptism? Don’t stress, no one is going to ask you to give up your spouse or take a vow of poverty. Martin Luther’s understanding of the Priesthood of all Believers is that we are all called to ministry. Your ministry in your place, with the gifts and talents that God has entrusted to you, is every bit as important as mine.
We are not all called to preach like Peter, sing like Karl, or bake cookies like Jane Lusk. But we are all called. Called to bloom where you are planted. We are called to the ministry of parenting, of caregiving, of praying, of quilting, of plane building, of grocery clerking, of nursing, of counseling, of listening, of teaching, of nourishing, of encouragement, of garbage collecting. We are called to use whatever gifts God has entrusted to us, in service to our neighbors for the common good of the community.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus; we are the only Jesus that many people will ever see or experience. This calling is sacred and humble. Every day, with every word, action, reaction, and deed we are called to follow the one who loved every sinner, prodigal, bum, leper and child.
This past week I saw three angels working away. They were called on short notice, and just like that they arrived with servant hearts and the tools of a carpenter. With no fanfare they showed up to put a handicapped ramp on the home of one of our own. The ramp was critical to the quality of life and safety of this woman. As the angels worked outside, muffled voices and the sound of pounding nails filling the air, we visited at bedside. You never really know the burdens that others are carrying, but I guarantee you that everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. She gave the men two thumbs up. Tearfully she asked me to thank them, as it would have been impossible for her to physically go outside herself. Were they angels or were they priests? Was this effort of love supernatural or was it simply the way it was meant to be in the Kingdom of God?
Today, you will have a chance to lean into the calling of your ministry. By your baptism you were ordained for Christian service. Loved, forgiven and never alone, our ministry is not an attempt to win God’s favor, it is a response to the Good News so freely given to us.
I give thanks for angels, for priests and for you! I am one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
I am your
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Sep 14, 2023 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Imagine if you will, Whidbey Island without Trinity Lutheran Church.
There would be no cross illuminating the sky high above Freeland. Preschoolers would have no place to go. Families would experience heightened anxiety. Some of our most vulnerable Whidbey neighbors would be cold in the winter as our wood ministry team would be no more. Good Cheer would lose much of its funding, Helping Hand would be out of business. College students would be saddled with debt. 12 step groups and many other groups would have nowhere to meet. Local non-profits would be less likely to survive. Weddings and funerals would need new venues. Concerts that benefit the larger community would no longer be by freewill admission, as ticket sales would close the doors to low income music lovers. Tiny houses would not be built, medical transport would not be provided, handicapped ramps would not be built. The inclusive, grace filled Gospel of Jesus Christ would not be preached here if the Church Where Everybody’s Welcome closed its doors.
Imagine if you will, the world without Trinity Lutheran Church.
On the streets of Seattle unhoused and unsheltered people would feel the loss of our His Hands Extended Ministry. There would be less money available to support rebuilding in disaster ravaged areas like Maui and Haiti. As World Hunger money shrank, lacking hundreds of thousands of dollars from TLC, more would suffer from food insecurity, and some would die from malnutrition. Fewer refugees would be able to be resettled in Seattle, the people of Ukraine would be without critical support, the hundreds of quilts delivered each year from TLC would no longer offer comfort to the afflicted. Nursing homes would lose funding, seminaries would lack students, missionaries would stay home, our online presence would disappear leaving dispersed worshippers without a home. In Israel, Palestinians would have diminished health care. Our global reach would cease if Trinity ceased to exist.
Imagine if you will, the world without Trinity Lutheran Church.
It is not a stretch you know. Thousands of Christian Churches close their doors every year. The House of Prayer is no more, the Little Brown Free Methodist Church is but a memory, and many Lutheran Churches in Washington have closed their doors. It is estimated that some 65 million Americans have left the organized church. They have not necessarily lost their faith, but they no longer attend church. No one wants to imagine a community without churches and yet that danger is real.
My intention is not to alarm you, rather I want to thank you. I want to thank you for your faithful support, for your worship attendance, for the service you provide, for the songs you sing and the cookies you bake. Trinity has been able to buck the national trends, we have grown during a time of drastic decline by focusing on Jesus and uniting for good. We are a beacon of hope on Highway 525. We are called to be people of hope. We are called to work for the common good. We are called to live and love as Jesus did and that is done most faithfully and effectively as a community. On our own, in isolation, we cannot achieve nearly as much as we can when we work together for the common good. Christianity is a movement that was meant to be lived out in community.
I thank you for following Jesus, I thank you for keeping this movement moving!
See you in Church!
Pastor Jim
[email protected]
Plan now to attend the program, a worship service, and the party! It is rumored that Elvis may even appear. For 70 years God has blessed TLC and in turn TLC has been a blessing to non-profits and benevolent causes on the Island and across the world. On November 5th we will send a thank you note to God and celebrate.
